Global Anti Terrorism Strategy Stressed

UN Anti-Terrorism Committees Stress The Need For Greater Involvement By Member States

New York, Sep 28 2006 8:00PM

The heads of three major United Nations anti-terrorism committees briefed the Security Council today on the latest efforts to tackle the scourge, calling for greater involvement by Member States and stressing the importance of the world body’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy launched earlier this month.

“The success or the failure of a sanctions regime rests with the States and with their effective sanctions implementation,” said Cesar Mayoral of Argentina, Chairman of the Security Council Committee on Al-Qaida, the Taliban and their associates, known as the 1267 committee for the resolution that established it.

“We need to hear more from you in order to know where the sanctions really work and where they don’t work, but more importantly to identify the areas where further improvements to the sanctions and their implementation are necessary,” he told the Council.

A key aspect of the Committee’s work and the sanctions regime, said Mr. Mayoral, is a list – known as the Consolidated List – of individuals and entities that it agrees are members of or associated with Al-Qaida, Usama Bin Laden and the Taliban. As of the end of July, this list had 478 entries: 142 individuals and one entity associated with the Taliban, and 2ᾱ3 individuals and 122 entities associated with Al-Qaida.

He emphasized the importance to the Committee’s work of its Monitoring Team, whose latest report was issued yesterday, and also stressed the importance to tackling terrorism of the UN’s global strategy that Secretary-General Kofi Annan formally launched on 19 September.

Also highlighting the importance of the strategy was Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark, the Chairperson of the Security Council Committee established to implement the 15-member body’s landmark anti-terrorism resolution 1373 – adopted in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

“As is the case in all aspects of the Committee’s work… [it] will continue to engage actively and constructively with Member States. In that regard, I strongly encourage States who have not yet done so to report to the Committee,” she told the Council.

“The Committee’s main task remains vital and urgent. I also welcome the recently-adopted United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which reiterates our strong determination to fight against terrorism. Support from, and cooperation with, Member States remains invaluable.”

In his remarks, Peter Burian of Slovakia, the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established in relation to Council resolution 1540 (2004) on weapons of mass destruction, said as of 20 September, 132 Member States and 1 organization had submitted their first reports to the Committee, while 59 States had yet to submit one, and he stressed the need for more cooperation.

“I would like to use this opportunity to call on all States that have not yet done so to send their first reports on implementation of resolution 1540 to the Committee,” he said.

Mr. Burian also highlighted other aspects of the Committee’s work related to the resolution, in particular its “outreach activities” aimed at promoting implementation and which included the first seminar in the Asia-Pacific region held in China in July.

“In its future work, the Committee… will also continue to identify national practices in implementing resolution 1540 that might be used in providing further general and specific ideas… to States seeking legislative assistance in implementing the resolution,” he added, emphasizing a “proactive approach” from States.

Following the comments from the three heads of the Committees, representatives from 16 Member States also addressed the Council during the debate.

Ends

© Scoop Media